PAM: 

JAPAN 


“lUnjo  Jo  #afefeo” 
#oltien  Castle  #trls’  ikljool 

Jtagopa,  Sapatt 

=§!§? 


Miss  Charlotte  Thompson,  principal 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 
NASHVILLE,  TENNESSEE 


Educational  Department 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/kinjojogakkogoldOOthom 


“Kinjo  Jo  Gakko” 
Golden  Castle  Girls’  School 

NAGOYA,  JAPAN 


BY  MISS  CHARLOTTE  THOMPSON,  PRINCIPAL 


Historical  Record 

The  school  was  established  in  September,  1888,  and  govern- 
ment license  received  September,  1889.  Mrs.  Randolph, 
the  first  principal,  began  the  school  with  three  girls,  in  a house 
having  two  small  rooms,  with  one  window  in  each  room.  There 
were  two  departments  in  the  school,  a preparatory  course  of 
three  years  and  a high  school  course  of  four  years.  Any  graduate 
from  the  government  primary  school  was  eligible  to  enter  the 
first  class  of  the  high  school  course.  In  addition  to  the  regular 
school  work,  any  pupil  who  desired  could  be  taught  music. 

At  this  time  girls’  education  in  Japan  was  on  a very  low  plane, 
much  lower  than  for  boys.  In  fact,  there  were  no  government 
schools  for  girls  in  the  Empire.  In  Nagoya  there  was  only 
one  small  mission  school  which  had  been  started  by  the  Northern 
Methodist  Church.  The  education  of  girls  in  Japan  was  com- 
menced by  missionaries,  and  our  mission  felt  strongly  the  need 
of  a school  in  connection  with  their  work  here  in  the  stronghold 
of  Buddhism. 

Gradually  the  attendance  increased,  and  in  July,  1S91,  a 
new  school  was  built.  In  November  of  the  following  year  Mrs. 
Randolph  gave  up  her  work  here  and  returned  to  America,  and 
Miss  Ona  Patterson  became  the  principal.  In  March,  1892,  Miss 
Patterson  was  married  to  the  Rev.  C.  K.  Cumming,  and  Miss 
Ella  R.  Houston  became  principal,  and  for  twenty  years  devoted 
herself  to  the  best  development  of  the  school,  instilling  into  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  these  Japanese  girls  the  teachings  of  Christ, 
and  sending  them  forth  into  the  world  with  a desire  to  perpetuate 
these  high  ideals  and  principles  of  right  living.  In  May,  1912, 
Miss  Houston  became  ill  and  after  a short  illness,  died  in  the 
hospital  here.  According  to  her  wishes  her  body  was  laid  to 
rest  in  the  little  Christian  cemetery  here,  overlooking  the  city. 
Her  death,  and  burial  in  Japan,  have  made  a great  impression  on 
her  Japanese  friends,  even  on  those  who  are  not  yet  Christians. 

Miss  Charlotte  Thompson,  who  had  been  assisting  Miss 
Houston  in  the  school  work  for  three  years,  was  then  installed 
as  principal,  and  is  still  in  charge  of  the  school. 

In  1894  the  first  pupil  was  graduated  from  the  school. 


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As  Christianity  and  Christian  education  began  gradually 
to  spread  in  Nagoya,  our  school  was  found  to  be  too  small  for 
its  students,  so  in  1901 , we  moved  to  our  present  site,  and  rebuilt. 
In  March,  1904,  a new  two-story  building  wras  erected,  the  lower 
floor  being  divided  into  three  parts  and  used  as  a chapel,  study- 
hall  and  class-rooms,  the  upstairs  being  used  as  a dormitory. 

At  this  time  eighteen  girls,  two  teachers  and  a matron 
could  be  comfortably  accommodated.  Later  the  number  of  pu- 
pils increased,  so  that  in  October,  1908,  our  present  chapel,  -with 
three  class-rooms  above,  was  built,  the  former  chapel  being  made 
into  class-rooms. 

Until  within  the  last  ten  years  no  public  schools  for  girls  were 
established  in  Japan,  so  that  mission  schools  were  founded  and 
run  on  strictly  individual  lines.  Since  the  establishment  of 
government  schools  many  laws  regulating  them  have  been 
made,  and  private  schools  have  been  more  or  less  obliged  to 
conform  to  these  rules,  in  order  to  obtain  government  recogni- 
tion. 

As  the  education  of  Japanese  girls  had  advanced  very  greatly, 
and  as  in  the  City  of  Nagoya  alone  there  were  four  high  schools 
for  girls  and  many  sewing  schools,  we  felt  that  the  curriculum 
and  equipment  of  this  school  was  deficient  and  should  be  brought 
up  to  the  standard  demanded  in  the  regular  high  schools,  and  we 
therefore  changed  the  catalogue  and  classified  the  school  anew. 
The  curriculum,  the  buildings  and  outside  surroundings  are  all 
prescribed  by  the  government. 

This  new  school  of  ours  was  built  in  accordance  with  these 
rules,  and  in  January,  1914,  we  made  application  to  the  Minister 
of  Education  that  our  school  be  recognized  as  complying  with  all 
the  rules  laid  down  in  the  educational  law,  and  that  our  pupils  be 
admitted  to  higher  government  schools  without  examination. 
This  is  in  connection  with  the  regular  high  school  course.  In 
due  course  the  application  was  granted  and  the  school  received 
full  Government  recognition. 

We  also  asked  permission  to  give  with  the  regular  course  a 
three-year  course  in  sewing.  This  was  granted  and  has  been 
in  effect  since  April,  1914. 

Students  of  these  two  courses  are  allowed  to  study  instru- 
mental music  if  they  wish.  Instruction  is  also  given  in  instru- 
mental music  to  outside  pupils  when  desired,  and  this  is  entirely 
separate  from  any  other  course. 

In  March,  1913,  the  old  buildings,  with  the  exception  of  the 
chapel,  were  torn  down,  and  neat,  substantial  and  attractive 
buildings  erected. 

The  right  to  operate  a street  car  line  on  the  street  to  the  north 
of  the  school  was  granted  a company,  and  in  order  to  make  the 
street  wdde  enough  for  this  purpose,  a strip  of  land  was  condemn- 
ed, which  cut  off  from  our  property  twenty-eight  hundred  and 
eighty  square  feet,  on  which  was  a beautiful  old  pine  tree  three 


4 


hundred  years  old.  There  were  seven  of  these  old  trees  in  the 
city,  which  were  planted  in  the  sixteenth  century  by  Hideyoshi, 
the  great  warrior,  and  it  was  with  great  regret  that  we  consented 
to  part  with  a tree  so  much  prized  for  its  beauty  as  well  as  his- 
torical association.  Although  this  tree  was  over  three  hundred 
years  old,  it  was  found  to  be  in  perfect  condition.  Two  sections 
of  the  trunk  were  cut  into  planks  of  five  inches  each,  and  these 
alone  brought  over  three  hundred  dollars  to  the  purchaser  of 
the  tree. 

We  tried  to  buy  a strip  of  land  to  the  east  of  our  property 
on  which  to  erect  a gymnasium,  but  the  owners  of  the  electric 
street  railway  company  refused  to  part  with  this,  as  they  felt 
it  was  necessary  to  have  this  for  their  own  buildings.  It  is 
a custom  in  this  school  to  assign  to  each  class  a plot  of  ground  for 
a small  garden,  and  entire  freedom  is  given  the  pupils  regarding 
its  cultivation.  This  work  is  used  in  connection  with  their  study 
of  botany  and  for  experimental  purposes.  We  will  be  obliged  now 
to  use  the  land  formerly  used  for  the  school  flower  beds  on  which 
to  erect  our  gymnasium. 

The  motto  for  this  year  was  selected  by  the  girls.  Each 
girl  and  teacher  was  asked  to  select  one  or  two  verses  of  scripture 
that  would  be  desirable  for  the  school  motto  for  the  coming  year. 
From  the  verses  submitted,  we  selected  the  ten  most  appropriate 
and  had  the  girls  vote  on  them.  The  one  which  was  selected  is 
“In  everything  give  thanks.”  This  has  been  written,  framed 
and  hung  over  the  rostrum  in  the  chapel.  We  are  all  trying 
to  practice  this  every  minute  of  the  day. 

During  the  twenty-seven  years  of  this  school’s  existence, 
we  have  had  trials,  persecutions  and  misunderstandings,  but  with 
patience  and  perseverance  we  believe  we  have  succeeded  in 
placing  our  school  on  a solid  foundation,  and  that  it  will  live  for 
many  years  to  come  and  do  a great  work. 

Buildings 

Our  school  is  divided  into  three  parts:  The  main  school 
building  with  a small  house  adjoining  for  domestic  science 
training,  the  dormitory,  and  the  foreign  teachers’  home.  All 
these  buildings  are  in  foreign  style,  and  are  painted  buff  with 
golden  brown  trimmings. 

Main  Building 

The  school  building  comprises  one  large  assembly  hall,  four 
ordinary  class  rooms,  one  science  room,  one  especially  equipped 
room  for  history,  geography,  drawing  and  Japanese  writing,  one 
music  room,  one  large  Japanese  room  for  sewing,  two  rooms  for 
Japanese  etiquette,  two  rooms  for  domestic  science,  seven  small 
individual  organ  practice  rooms,  a library,  the  principal’s  office, 
a small  business  office,  a teacher’s  room,  a reception  room,  a 
rest  room  for  girls,  and  a luncheon  room  for  the  day  pupils. 


Particular  attention  has  been  given  the  matter  of  acoustics 
in  the  assembly  hall  and  class-rooms,  and  every  precaution  taken 
to  insure  perfect  ventilation,  and  an  abundance  of  light  and 
sunshine  in  all  rooms.  In  fact,  one  of  the  government  regula- 
tions in  Japan  is  that  class  rooms  shall  have  a southern  exposure, 
and  we  have  complied  fully  with  this  requirement. 


Dormitory 

The  dormitory  comprises  the  matron’s  room,  three  rooms 
for  teachers,  twelve  rooms  for  pupils  (each  room  can  accommo- 
date three  to  five  girls),  two  reception  rooms,  an  assembly  hall 
(which  if  necessary  can  be  converted  into  two  sleeping  rooms), 
toilets,  bath,  laundry,  hospital  room,  dispensary,  a large  dining 
room  and  kitchen,  with  two  servants’  rooms  adjoining. 

The  teachers’  rooms  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  girls,  except- 
ing that  the  matting  is  of  an  especially  good  quality  and  that 
each  room  has  a large  “tokonoma.”  A “tokonoma”  is  a sort 
of  little  alcove,  raised  above  the  floor  about  one  foot.  A flower 
vase  on  a small  stand  is  usually  placed  here,  and  a long  panel 
picture  (which  is  changed  with  each  season  of  the  year)  is  hung 
on  the  wall.  A “tokonoma”  is  considered  a very  important 
part  of  a Japanese  room  and  the  guest  of  honor  is  always  asked 
to  sit  in  front  of  it  or  near  it.  This  honor  is  always  declined  at 
first,  but  after  much  pressing  the  guest  accepts  with  seeming 
reluctance. 

There  is  no  furniture  used  in  these  rooms.  The  “futon” 
(much  the  same  as  our  comforters)  which  are  used  for  the  beds, 
are  taken  out  of  a cupboard  every  night  and  placed  on  the  matted 
floor,  and  “zabuton”  (cushions)  placed  on  the  floor  are  used  for 
seats.  Nothing  further  is  considered  necessary  in  the  way  of 
furnishings.  The  dormitory  is  lighted  with  electricity — the 
lights  in  the  girls'  rooms  being  turned  off  at  9:30,  and  the  teach- 
ers use  their  own  discretion  in  the  matter. 

The  greatest  care  has  been  taken  to  insure  proper  ventilation 
and  the  best  hygienic  conditions,  and  it  is  gratifying  to  report 
that  in  every  respect  the  dormitory  passes  the  most  rigid  inspec- 
tion. 

There  is  a large  platform  built  on  top  of  the  servants’  quar- 
ters where  clothing  may  be  hung  to  dry,  bedding,  etc.,  aired. 
Practically  all  the  cleaning  in  the  dormitory  is  done  by  the  pu- 
pils. The  floors  are  rubbed  up  every  morning  and  now  they 
shine  so  that  you  can  almost  see  your  face  in  them.  No  shoes 
are  ever  worn  in  the  house  by  Japanese,  so  the  floors  and  matting 
are  not  marked  or  scratched  as  would  otherwise  be  the  case. 

Two  servants  are  employed,  one  as  cook  and  the  other  acts 
as  “errand  boy,”  and  together  they  receive  five  dollars  a month 
and  their  food. 


6 


There  are  domiciled  in  the  dormitory  at  present  twenty-three 
pupils,  one  matron  and  one  assistant  matron.  In  summer  they 
rise  at  5:30,  exercise  6:30  to  7:00,  breakfast  at  7:00,  and  from 
7:30  to  7:45  is  spent  in  Bible  reading  and  silent  prayer.  School 
work  commences  with  prayer  at  eight.  In  the  winter  months 
the  program  is  changed  slightly,  as  we  then  rise  at  six  and  exer- 
cise later  in  the  day. 

Between  four  and  five  o’clock  every  afternoon  the  dormitory 
girls  exercise  on  the  playground.  Between  the  administration 
building  and  the  dormitory  there  is  a space  of  about  a quarter 
of  an  acre  which  we  use  as  a playground.  In  this  we  have  a 
tennis  court,  tether  ball  poles,  ping  pong  tables  and  many  other 
things  to  induce  the  girls  to  exercise  regularly.  They  are  fond 
of  basket,  captain,  and  volley  ball,  and  in  fact  all  the  games 
that  American  girls  like.  Around  the  buildings  and  along  the 
fences  we  have  flower  beds  which  are  in  care  of  the  girls.  In 
these  we  are  planning  to  have  plants  that  bloom  in  the  different 
seasons,  and  hope  to  have  flowers  every  month  in  the  year. 


Foreign  Teachers’  House 

This  is  a frame  house,  the  same  as  the  other  buildings,  and 
painted  the  same  colors,  with  a veranda  about  four  feet  wide 
on  the  south  side.  This  is  enclosed  with  glass  and  in  winter  we 
keep  our  plants  here.  On  the  first  floor  there  is  a sitting  room, 
dining  room  and  kitchen,  hall  and  a small  study  opening  off  of  it. 
Upstairs  there  are  four  bedrooms  (including  the  servants’  room) 
and  a small  bath  room.  The  sun  pours  into  all  the  rooms,  and 
it  is  a bright,  comfortable  and  pretty  place  The  garden  is  not 
very  large — about  the  size  of  a small  pocket  handkerchief,  but 
we  are  trying  to  have  every  kind  of  flower  in  it  and  get  as  many 
of  the  home  flowers  to  grow  as  we  can. 


Curriculum 

At  present  we  have  the  following  departments:  A girls’  high 
school  course,  a one  year’s  post-graduate  course,  a course  in 
sewing  and  a course  in  vocal  and  instrumental  music. 

The  high  school  course  is  the  same  as  the  government  high 
school  for  girls,  with  the  exception  of  two  hours  a week  for 
Bible  study. 

The  post-graduates  take  those  studies  which  will  better 
prepare  them  for  the  work  of  higher  institutions  and  the  home 
life.  In  this  class  we  give  much  time  to  music,  English,  sewing 
and  cooking. 

The  sewing  course  requires  three  years  and  includes  all 
branches  of  the  regular  high  school  course,  except  English. 
The  extra  hours  are  spent  on  sewing,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
important  of  all  studies  for  girls. 


7 


Student  Body 


10 


The  music  course  has  in  view  the  training  of  girls  for  organ 
playing  in  schools  and  churches,  and  the  teaching  of  sight- 
singing in  the  primary  schools. 

This  school  makes  a specialty  of  music  and  has  some  excellent 
results  to  show  from  the  work.  We  have  several  small  individual 
organ  practice  rooms,  each  room  about  four  by  six  feet.  The 
pupils  are  each  given  instruction  of  twenty-five  minutes  twice 
every  week. 

The  rules  governing  etiquette  are  very  strict  in  Japan,  and 
every  girl  (even  though  not  of  a high  social  position)  is  expected 
to  be  familiar  with  them.  The  exact  way  in  which  a lady  should 
enter  and  leave  a room,  how  to  sit  on  cushion  on  floor,  how  to  rise, 
how  to  serve  tea  and  cake,  the  art  of  bowing — all  are  matters  of 
definite  and  distinct  rules,  and  each  girl  must  master  the  art  or 
be  considered  very  rude  and  ill-bred.  Even  the  matter  of  how 
the  hands  should  be  folded  in  the  lap  (the  left  hand  over  the 
right)  is  one  which  requires  special  and  careful  training,  and  it 
is  a very  necessary  part  of  a Japanese  girl’s  education  to  know 
how  to  comport  herself  properly  on  every  social  occasion. 

The  arrangement  of  flowers  and  the  ceremonial  tea  service 
are  taught,  and  they  require  a life  time  to  master  thoroughly. 
This  course  was  commenced  in  September,  1914,  and  it  is  optional 
with  the  pupils  whether  they  take  it  or  not. 

Foreign  etiquette  is  also  taught,  as  it  is  desirable  that  pupils 
should  know  how  to  act  in  a foreign  home.  They  must  be 
taught  how  to  handle  their  knives  and  forks,  how  to  eat  fruit, 
and  the  various  other  foods  and  dishes  used  by  foreigners.  They 
have  usually  not  the  slightest  idea  of  how  to  act  at  a foreign 
table,  or  what  to  do  with  the  things  placed  before  them.  It  is 
now  customary  for  wealthy  Japanese  to  have  foreign  rooms  in 
their  homes,  and  it  is  necessary  for  girls  to  know  how  to  act  when 
invited  to  such  places. 

The  girls  receive  instruction  in  both  foreign  and  Japanese 
cooking,  the  same  utensils,  dishes,  stoves,  etc.,  being  used  in 
both  branches.  There  is  a “shichi  rin”  (a  clay  box  with  char- 
qoal  on  a grate)  on  top  of  which  a tin  oven  is  used  when  we  desire 
to  bake  anything. 

In  the  domestic  science  building  the  girls  are  also  taught 
washing,  dyeing,  pasting,  etc.  All  such  things  are  absolutely 
necessary  in  a Japanese  home  and  it  is  our  aim  to  prepare  the 
girls  for  homes,  schools,  or  any  other  station  they  are  called 
upon  to  fill. 

Doubtless  you  will  wonder  why  it  is  necessary  to  receive  in- 
struction in  pasting,  but  this  is  quite  an  essential  branch  of  a 
Japanese  girl’s  education.  The  doors  and  windows  in  Japanese 
homes  are  latticed  frame  work  covered  with  thin  white  paper. 
Several  times  a year  it  is  necessary  to  recover  entirely  these 
“fusuma”  and  “shogi,”  and  at  frequent  intervals  to  repair 
damage,  and  it  must  be  done  with  care  and  skill. 


Ethics  and  the  Bible  are  taught  in  all  classes  three  times  a 
week  and  every  morning  we  have  twenty  minutes  for  prayers, 
which  are  led  by  the  Christian  teachers  in  turn.  On  Monday  of 
each  week  the  prayer  service  is  in  English. 

Every  Wednesday  afternoon  each  class  holds  a prayer  meet- 
ing separately,  at  which  the  teachers  are  present.  The  pupils 
lead  these  meetings  and  take  all  responsibility.  Frequently 
we  have  special  speakers  for  these  Wednesday  afternoons  and 
every  year  we  have  special  evangelistic  meetings  from  which 
much  benefit  is  received.  The  ministers  come  often  to  lecture 
to  the  teachers  and  pupils. 

On  Sunday  morning  all  teachers  and  girls  attend  Sunday- 
school  and  church.  The  teachers  and  fourth  year  pupils  have 
regular  Sunday-school  classes,  and  the  other  girls  attend  Bible 
class  or  the  highest  class  in  the  Sunday-school.  We  have  a 
normal  Sunday-school  class  held  once  a week  to  prepare  girls  to 
take  these  classes  on  Sunday.  On  Sunday  afternoons  we  have 
a song  service  for  an  hour  and  a dormitory  prayer  meeting  in 
the  evening.  The  teachers  lead  these  meetings  and  the  girls 
sometimes  take  part. 

As  we  have  school  on  Saturday  as  well  as  every  other  day  in 
the  week  but  Sunday,  we  find  our  time  is  well  occupied. 


Apparatus 

In  the  science  room  we  have  over  One  Thousand  Yen’s  worth 
of  apparatus.  In  Japan  the  government  requires  a certain  amount 
of  apparatus  before  a school  will  be  recognized  as  doing  high 
school  work.  The  apparatus  required  by  our  schools  in  America 
can  not  compare  with  the  amount  deemed  necessary  in  this  coun- 
try. We  have  specimens  of  all  kinds  of  flowers  and  fruit  which 
cost  about  five  dollars.  Many  paper  charts  are  necessary. 
For  instance,  we  have  a chart  of  a chicken  and  by  lifting  a bunch 
of  his  breast  feathers  the  workings  of  his  craw  can  be  distinctly 
seen.  Everything  must  be  seen  to  be  understood. 

In  the  history  and  geography  room  we  have  relief  maps,  globes 
and  many  charts,  also  many  maps  drawn  by  our  pupils,  which 
are  really  excellent,  for  Japanese  are  quite  efficient  in  map 
drawing.  We  have  charts  depicting  every  age  of  Japanese 
customs  and  dress,  also  showing  the  plan  of  the  ancient  battles 
of  Japan;  the  growth  of  cereals  and  the  process  through  which 
they  are  put  to  prepare  them  for  food. 

We  have  also  a small  post  card  cabinet  which  contains  over 
a hundred  yen’s  worth  of  post  cards;  most  of  these  were  given 
us  by  a friend  of  our  head  teacher’s.  This  young  man  had  been 
ill  with  tuberculosis  in  a hospital  here,  and  our  head  teacher 
visited  him  frequently  and  our  Japanese  music  teacher  went 
every  Sunday  afternoon  to  sing  gospel  hymns  to  him.  He  be- 


12 


came  an  earnest  Christian  before  he  died,  and  asked  that  his 
col'ection  of  post  cards  should  be  given  to  our  school.  This 
collection  contains  pictures  of  almost  every  noted  place  in  Japan 
and  many  other  towns  and  villages,  as  well  as  depicting  almost 
every  phase  of  life,  work  and  product  in  the  country.  We  also 
have  cards  from  many  other  countries. 

The  alumnae  have  started  a museum  to  which  the  girls 
contribute  samples  of  the  product  of  their  villages,  pictures,  etc. 
We  have  exhibits  not  only  from  Japan  but  also  from  China, 
Korea,  Formosa,  Hawaii,  and  America. 

We  have  at  present  seven  small  organs  and  the  alumnae 
are  planning  to  give  us  a one  hundred  and  fifty  dollar  organ 
in  memory  of  Miss  Houston.  We  still  need  three  or  four  more 
organs.  We  also  have  one  splendid  piano,  which  we  bought 
in  Germany  seven  years  ago,  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 


Society 

The  school  society  is  composed  of  teachers  and  pupils. 
The  meetings  are  held  on  the  last  Thursday  of  each  month, 
and  punctuality,  system  and  order  is  insisted  upon.  Each 
person  is  obliged  to  contribute  her  share  to  the  entertainment — 
either  music,  recitation,  original  composition  or  reading — at 
some  of  the  meetings,  and  the  work  of  the  pupils  is  criticized 
by  the  teachers.  The  object  of  the  society  is  to  give  the  girls 
confidence  in  themselves  and  to  influence  towards  wisdom, 
purity,  kindliness,  and  general  development,  religious  and  social. 

Y.  W.  C.  A. 

Two  years  ago  we  organized  a Y.  W.  C.  A.  The  membership 
includes  practically  all  the  teachers  and  girls.  Every  Thursday 
afternoon  we  have  a sewing  meeting  for  about  an  hour,  the 
product  of  our  work  being  sold  and  the  money  given  to  various 
causes.  Last  year  we  sent  old  clothing  and  over  five  dollars 
worth  of  new  things  to  the  famine  district,  and  last  autumn 
we  sent  comfort  bags  to  the  Japanese  soldiers.  We  have  had 
four  or  five  letters  from  the  soldiers  who  received  these  bags 
and  Bibles,  and  they  were  very  appreciative  of  what  we  had  done 
for  them.  Before  Thanksgiving  Day  the  girls  in  the  dormitory 
denied  themselves  dessert  for  two  Sundays,  the  outside  pupils 
also  contributed,  and  the  money  was  used  to  buy  potatoes  for 
the  poor  of  the  Salvation  Army.  We  sent  them  about  enough 
to  fill  a one-horse  wagon,  and  afterwards  we  heard  how  the  things 
were  distributed  and  appreciated.  We  sell  our  waste  paper,  etc., 
and  give  the  money  to  the  poor. 

Personnel 

There  are  13  teachers  (11  Japanese  and  Miss  Thompson  and 
Miss  Kirtland),  one  matron,  one  secretary,  one  doctor  for  con- 


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sultation  when  required,  53  pupils  (of  which  18  take  organ  and 
piano),  and  136  alumnae.  Of  the  alumnae  41  have  married 
Christians,  and  have  now  splendid  Christian  homes;  23  have 
entered  higher  institutions;  33  are  still  in  their  homes;  7 have 
died;  and  32  are  teachers  in  primary  schools,  kindergartens, 
girls’  high  schools,  and  evangelistic  work.  The  occupations 
are  different  but  they  are  all  witnessing  for  Jesus,  and  are  endeav- 
oring to  elevate  the  standard  of  women  in  Japan.  The  11  Japa- 
nese teachers  are  as  follows:  one  for  geography  and  history, 
one  for  science  find  mathematics,  two  for  the  Japanese  language, 
one  for  English  translation,  one  for  music,  two  for  sewing,  one 
for  gymnasium  and  physical  culture,  one  for  drawing,  one  for 
flower  arrangement  and  Japanese  etiquette.  The  last  three 
come  in  only  once  each  week  to  give  special  instruction. 

In  addition  to  her  duties  as  principal,  Miss  Thompson  has 
to  look  after  the  health  and  proper  running  of  the  dormitory 
and  school,  takes  charge  of  the  school  bookkeeping,  correspon- 
dence, etc.,  and  teaches  Bible,  English,  and  cooking. 

Miss  Kirtland  has  charge  of  the  music  department,  also 
teaches  Bible  and  English  and  directs  the  “Myojo  Yochien” 
(Morning  Star  Kindergarten). 


Financial 

A day  pupil  requires  an  average  of  one  dollar  a month  to 
meet  all  school  expenses,  and  a boarder  requires  less  than  four 
dollars.  Evangelist’s  daughters  receive  free  tuition.  The  mis- 
sion appropriates  each  year  the  sum  of  three  hundred  dollars 
in  gold  to  be  used  as  scholarships  for  deserving  girls. 

Our  school  plant  is  worth  at  present  $42,748.00;  the  value  of 
the  land  is  $20,047,  the  value  of  the  buildings  $20,000,  furniture 
$2,701.00. 

The  tuition  and  music  fees  amount  to  approximately  $300.00 
a year,  and  the  mission  appropriates  for  the  running  expenses 
three  thousand  dollars. 

The  question  may  arise  as  to  whether  the  cost  entailed  jus- 
tifies the  continuation  of  these  mission  schools.  A close  study  of 
the  matter,  however,  shows  that  the  results  more  than  compen- 
sate for  the  time  and  money  expended.  Very  frequently  the 
graduates  from  our  schools  are  the  only  Christians  in  towns 
and  villages  far  removed  from  the  cities  and  towns  where  Chris- 
tianity is  taught,  and  these  girls  gather  the  little  ones  about 
them  and  tell  them  of  the  Master’s  love,  and  very  frequently 
reach  the  older  ones  through  the  children.  These  girls  have  an 
exceptional  opportunity  for  disseminating  the  Gospel  and 
usually  with  less  opposition  than  a foreigner.  And  while  it  is 
hard  to  trace  actual  results,  it  is  in  reality  paving  the  way  for 
more  definite  work  later  on. 


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We  have  been  requested  again  and  again  by  a neighboring 
village  to  send  one  of  our  graduates  there  to  teach  in  a primary 
school.  One  of  our  girls  taught  there  some  years  ago  and  her 
work  was  so  effective  that  they  desire  others  from  our  school 
to  help  them.  In  mission  schools  about  ninety  per  cent  of  the 
girls  become  Christians  and  it  is  hard  to  estimate  the  cumulative 
results  of  the  work  they  do  after  leaving  school.  Many  of  our 
graduates  become  successful  Bible  women  and  kindergartners. 

It  is  quite  impossible  to  get  in  touch  with  the  girls  in  the  gov- 
ernment high  schools,  for  as  soon  as  it  becomes  known  that  a girl 
is  attending  Christian  meetings  her  “home  work”  is  increased 
to  such  an  extent  that  it  is  impossible  for  her  to  give  any  further 
time  to  religious  work.  We  must  teach  the  youth  of  the  land 
or  the  result  of  the  work  is  lessened  very  greatly.  In  the  writer’s 
opinion,  there  is  no  form  of  evangelistic  work  that  is  more  prom- 
ising or  that  gives  really  better  returns  than  that  done  through 
the  mission  schools. 

Nagoya, Japax 
March  3rd,  1915. 


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BRAND0N-2M-7-20-I5- 


